It is true that such a choice of M. Sinkevičius is already controversial, as criticism of M. Katelyn is directed at both the lack of experience and some past actions – for example, comparing Lithuanian officials with ombudsmen.
Deividas Matulionis, the chief advisor to the President, stated that G. Nausėda emphasized the importance of regional policy at the meeting, and considerable attention was also paid to migration issues.
“At this point, I want to emphasize that the opinions of the president and the candidate, I would say, coincided one hundred percent,” assured D. Matulionis.
With M. Katelyn, G. Nausėda also discussed the issues of civil safety, the development of shelters, border protection, and the fight against smuggling.
“The candidate left a good impression on the president. In fact, one can see a good knowledge of certain issues, so the assessment today would be that the president views the candidate as a serious and promising candidate for the position of the minister of the interior,” informed the adviser of the country’s leader.
M. Katelynas himself testified that the meeting with G. Nausėda was “extremely constructive”.
“I personally expressed the priorities. I came prepared, having set those priorities. I think they coincided, as they mentioned, with migration, one hundred percent. You can definitely find a consensus whether it would affect the salaries of officials, whether it would affect civil safety, or the approach to the regions.
These are the things, I think, everything is in agreement, and if I were to be confirmed, I hope that it would be possible to turn those priorities into real work”, said the candidate for the Minister of Internal Affairs.
When D. Matulionis was asked if the president appreciated M. Katelyns’s posts about Lithuanian officials and his thoughts about the fact that illegals could be stopped by lethal means, he said that the head of the country also touched on these topics.
“Yes, those statements were indeed discussed. However, the general context of what was at that time, in 2021, must be assessed.
We had a serious migration crisis and there were really high tensions in society. (…) Yes, we talked about them today”, explained D. Matulionis.
M. Katelynas himself justified that the whole matter with the comparison of Lithuanian officials with Belarusian special services is “taken out of context”.
“The problem was that at that time Lithuania faced a hybrid attack on an unprecedented scale. We all know very well how many migrants flowed uncontrollably to Lithuania at that time, we all know the protest that took place at the time, which later turned into riots near the Seimas, the whole general situation due to covid restrictions, and my criticism was directed not at the actions of the officials, but at the then behavior of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the attempt to solve that crisis”, explained the ministerial candidate.
According to M. Katelyn, a suitable minister should reassure the residents, explain to them what is happening and what measures will be taken. This was not done, the politician said, but a decision was simply made that migrants would be transferred to Rūdninki.
2021 has caused controversy in the public space. A post published by M. Katelynas, but later deleted, in which Lithuanian officials were compared to Belarusian “OMON”.
As announced Delphithat year, the central government decided to settle migrants who crossed the border illegally in the Rūdninkai polygon. This did not please local residents, who protested and tried to block the entrance to the test site, so the police and Public Security Service (PSS) officers pulled the protesters off the road by force.
It was on the basis of this episode that M. Katelynas raised the question on Facebook of how Lithuanian officials differ from OMON.
He also sees the hand of political opponents in the reminder that M. Katelynas supported the proposal to stop migrants by “lethal means”. He again called it out of context, although he does not deny his words.
“The situation at the time was such that the border guards were also faced with an unprecedented crisis at the same time, they didn’t even have the means to completely stop it, (…) and they solved that problem as best they could. As shown by the later examples in Poland, the border guard who died when he tried to stop the influx of migrants, according to my knowledge at the time, the border guards were not given the right to use lethal force if their lives were even in danger.”
My thought was that during the service, since the state border must be defended, and if this is the last line of defense – only to use a weapon to defend the state border, (…) then the officer must have the right, of course, and the responsibility, to use a weapon when it is necessary”, said the candidate for the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
True, he admitted that he would choose a different rhetoric now.
“But I don’t run away from my statements that were once said – I can explain them. But I certainly won’t deny that I didn’t say it,” explained M. Katelyn.
When asked when he found out that he would be a candidate for the Minister of Internal Affairs, he testified that he found out about the final verdict of the appointed Prime Minister only today.
Later, he joined the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party itself. Formerly, 2020-2022, belonged to the National Union.
M. Katelynas has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemistry at Vilnius University and studied, but did not finish, doctoral studies in biochemistry. Currently, he works in the State Management and Municipalities Committee of the Seimas, holding the position of deputy chairman.
